Evaluation of a Close Coupled Slotted Orifice, Electrical Impedance, and Swirl Flow Meters for Multiphase Flow

Abstract

The performance of a coupled slotted orifice and swirl flow meters, and a coupled slotted orifice and an impedance probe flow meter for multiphase flow is evaluated to develop a new multiphase flow meter. The slotted orifice also provides well homogenized flow for several pipe diameters downstream of the plate. This characteristic provides a homogeneous mixture at the inlet of the swirl meter, and impedance probe for gas volume fraction measurement (GVF). In order to evaluate the performance of the designed flow<meters, the GVF and mass flow rate responses are investigated at varying pressures (20, 40, and 60 psi) and water flow rates (30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90 GPM). The proper correlations are established to provide high accurate two<phase flow measurement. The new proposed approach provides the GVF measurement with less than 0.017 % error, and the total mass flow rate measurement within error ± 0.38 over the range of 4 to 13 lbm/sec.